I’m 16 and losing hair. Can I get a hair transplant?
I’m sixteen years old and I am losing hair. It is definately a problem with me and I need some answers. I would like to know how old one would have to be to get a hair tranplant and what would be the best way to go upon doing this if i am old enough?
As a hair loss sufferer since the age of 17, I know that facing hair loss at a very young age can be a frustrating, disheartening, and confusing experience.
Unfortunately, hair restoration surgery is very rarely a viable option for hair loss sufferers of a young age. In order to perform a hair restoration surgical procedure at minimum risk to the patient, a physician must be able to safely determine if the hair loss is at a point where it will no longer recede behind the grafts, which will give an unnatural look.
Ordinarily, further recession and hair loss can be staved off using non-surgical treatments such as Propecia and Rogaine. Propecia generally isn’t considered a viable option until the hair loss sufferer is around 18 years old or older because of it’s hormone-altering properties.
Your best bet would be to put hair restoration surgery out of your mind for a while. I know that’s probably what you don’t want to hear, but it’s true. Even the best hair transplant surgery will look unnatural and odd if the patient recedes behind the transplanted grafts, leaving the patient often feeling worse than they did before the procedure and more often than not requiring additional and more expensive repair surgery.
For the time being, you should speak to a dermatologist that is familiar with hair loss to assess your situation. You may be able to start a regimen of Propecia and/or Rogaine sooner rather than later and may be able to slow or even stop your hair loss before it gets too bad. I didn’t start taking hair loss medication until I was 24 and I had severe hair loss. But with medication and diligence in applying Rogaine every day, much of what I lost came back very quickly. If you are determined to use the medication every day, you may be surprised at what it can do for you. Especially since you start taking it sooner rather than later.
Robert – Associate Publisher of the Hair Transplant Network, the Coalition Hair Loss Learning Center, and the Hair Loss Q & A Blog
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